Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to expedite nationally significant infrastructure projects.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government made 21 decisions on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) in the first year of this Parliament. This compares with the first year of the last Parliament in which only 15 decisions were made and represents the highest number of annual decisions made since the NSIP programme was introduced in 2011. 27 NSIP decisions have been made so far since the start of this Parliament.
Following acceptance by the Planning Inspectorate, NSIP applications are being processed on average 50 days quicker in this Parliament than in the last.
Through the relevant provisions of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, we are seeking to reduce the average time it takes reach a decision on an NSIP project from its peak of 4.2 years under the previous government.
To achieve our Plan for Change milestone of fast-tracking 150 planning decisions, we will need an average of 32 decisions per year from July 2025. While we have not achieved this in our first year, we expect the rate of decisions to continue to accelerate alongside the already seen increase in projects entering the pipeline.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations in the report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition entitled Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years, last updated 8 May 2024.whether she plans to take steps to make an assessment on the potential impact of (a) food pouches and (b) highly blended food on the development of (i) chewing skills, (ii) oral motor function and (iii) dental health in children under 36 months.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Two research projects have been commissioned that will consider the impact of commercially manufactured baby foods on dental health. These are based on research recommendations made in the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years and are funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
One is the Studying Health Impacts of Early Diets project, that runs from December 2024 to May 2027. The overall aim of this project is to assess how the diet of children aged between one and five years old in the United Kingdom influences their health in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.
The other is the Growing Well Study running from March 2025 to March 2028. This study aims to understand more about the eating habits of children aged between one and five years old, and how this affects their growth and dental health.
No Government-funded research is currently underway that is considering the potential impact of food pouches and highly blended food on the development of chewing skills or oral motor function in children aged under 36 months.
The Department commissions research through the NIHR. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the health impacts of infant feeding practices.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will consider a) adopting a gender-informed definition of rough sleeping and homelessness, b) providing local authorities with tools, resources, and guidance on gathering accurate and inclusive data on women’s rough sleeping and homelessness and c) providing gender-informed guidance to enable local authorities to ensure services and systems are equitable, accessible and safe for women, matched with appropriate levels of funding to do so.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises that women experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping have different experiences and needs to men.
The Government introduced a new question in the Rough Sleeping Monthly Management Information to capture the gender of those sleeping rough over the course of a month, rather than on a single night.
The Government has increased funding for homelessness services by £316 million to a record total of more than £1 billion. Local authorities can use this money to respond to local need, including those of women in their area. We are considering the needs of different cohorts in our cross-Government homelessness strategy, which will be published later this year.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that industry follows Commercial Food and Drink Voluntary Industry Guidelines on health claims.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Voluntary guidelines published in August 2025 require commercial baby food and drink businesses for children under 36 months to restrict implied nutrition and health claims on labels. These claims can lead to parents overestimating the healthiness of the product. Businesses are expected to comply by February 2027.
We will monitor progress after that time, to ensure businesses have the maximum time available to make these changes.
The Government will consider additional or alternative measures if businesses fail to implement these guidelines.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the appropriate amount of (a) iron and (b) vitamins is in food marketed for children under 36 months.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influence many aspects of wellbeing in later life.
The Department has regulations in place that set nutritional, compositional, and labelling standards for commercial baby food for children from six to 36 months. These include maximum levels of iron, and minimum and maximum levels of some vitamins that can be added to commercial baby food. We continue to keep these regulations under review to ensure that the composition of infant food and drinks reflect the latest scientific advice and dietary guidelines. It is the responsibility of individual businesses to ensure they comply with the law and the responsibility of local authorities to enforce the law.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to publish details of (a) findings, (b) good practice and (c) value-for-money assessments from Trailblazer schemes.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Trailblazers were launched from April 2025 across 17 areas and are testing more localised delivery approaches to support young people and those who are economically inactive to move closer to the labour market.
The Trailblazer areas are required to demonstrate to the Department satisfactory progress towards implementing their agreed delivery plans. Management Information is being collected by the areas and will be shared with the Department, which includes volumes and characteristics of people supported by the Trailblazers.
The Department expects to publish scoping research in 2026, which was commissioned to baseline Trailblazer plans and inform the evaluation design. The Department will be commissioning a new evaluation contract, starting in December 2025, and we will then agree the most effective approach to evidencing outcomes, good practice and value for money. Where applicable this will include evidence on improving mental health, tackling social isolation and supporting sustained employment. We expect to publish interim findings during the next two years and will develop the value for money assessment once longer term impacts have been developed.
In addition, the Department is working closely with Trailblazer areas to support the design of their own local evaluations.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) performance metrics and (b) outcome indicators his Department is using to assess Trailblazer schemes; and what role (i) improving mental health, (ii) tackling social isolation and (ii) supporting sustained employment have in those.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Trailblazers were launched from April 2025 across 17 areas and are testing more localised delivery approaches to support young people and those who are economically inactive to move closer to the labour market.
The Trailblazer areas are required to demonstrate to the Department satisfactory progress towards implementing their agreed delivery plans. Management Information is being collected by the areas and will be shared with the Department, which includes volumes and characteristics of people supported by the Trailblazers.
The Department expects to publish scoping research in 2026, which was commissioned to baseline Trailblazer plans and inform the evaluation design. The Department will be commissioning a new evaluation contract, starting in December 2025, and we will then agree the most effective approach to evidencing outcomes, good practice and value for money. Where applicable this will include evidence on improving mental health, tackling social isolation and supporting sustained employment. We expect to publish interim findings during the next two years and will develop the value for money assessment once longer term impacts have been developed.
In addition, the Department is working closely with Trailblazer areas to support the design of their own local evaluations.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to undertake formal evaluation of the Trailblazer schemes currently in operation; and when that will be published.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Trailblazers were launched from April 2025 across 17 areas and are testing more localised delivery approaches to support young people and those who are economically inactive to move closer to the labour market.
The Trailblazer areas are required to demonstrate to the Department satisfactory progress towards implementing their agreed delivery plans. Management Information is being collected by the areas and will be shared with the Department, which includes volumes and characteristics of people supported by the Trailblazers.
The Department expects to publish scoping research in 2026, which was commissioned to baseline Trailblazer plans and inform the evaluation design. The Department will be commissioning a new evaluation contract, starting in December 2025, and we will then agree the most effective approach to evidencing outcomes, good practice and value for money. Where applicable this will include evidence on improving mental health, tackling social isolation and supporting sustained employment. We expect to publish interim findings during the next two years and will develop the value for money assessment once longer term impacts have been developed.
In addition, the Department is working closely with Trailblazer areas to support the design of their own local evaluations.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include measures to support children in the deepest poverty in the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Heywood and Middleton North, to the answer of [DATE] to Question 82529.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to address the role of social media companies in enabling (a) harassment and (b) stalking through their platforms.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act since its implementation in 2023 places legal duties on social media companies to tackle online harms, including harassment and stalking. Platforms must assess risks, swiftly remove illegal content, and implement measures to prevent abuse. They are also required to provide clear reporting tools. Ofcom, the independent regulator, is responsible for ensuring services are complying with their safety duties. The Act also introduced new communications offences, including cyber-flashing and threatening communications, strengthening protections against online harassment and stalking. The Secretary of State is taking steps to make cyberflashing, and assisting and encouraging self-harm priority offences, in addition to stalking and harassment already being priority offences, to strengthen the act further.